Pakistan says no suspensions over betting probe

Pakistan's cricket board said Tuesday it would not suspend players accused over a betting scam while the claims are investigated, but reports said they would be dropped for the remaining matches in England.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has promised "prompt and decisive action" if the allegations made by a British Sunday newspaper are proven.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has summoned the players at the centre of the claims to a meeting in London on Wednesday, but said it would not suspend any player while police continue to investigate.

"Chairman Ijaz Butt just told me that since there is a case going on with the Scotland Yard we are not going to suspend any player," a PCB spokesman told AFP.

"He further said that this is only an allegation so far. There is still no charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no action taken."

The News of the World alleges that a middleman took 150,000 pounds (185,000 euros, 230,000 dollars) to arrange for Pakistani players to deliberately bowl no-balls in the final Test match against England in London last week.

The information would be of enormous value to the spot-betting industry, in which money is wagered on specific incidents in matches.

The beleaguered Pakistan team was preparing for the rest of the tour in Taunton, southwest England, where officials insisted on holding a training session behind closed doors on Tuesday.

But three of the players named in the allegations -- Test team captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif -- have been summoned to a meeting with top Pakistani officials in London on Wednesday.

Team manager Yawar Saeed said they would meet with Ijaz Butt and the Pakistani high commissioner (ambassador) to Britain, Wajid Shamsul Hasan.

It appears increasingly likely the three players will play no part in the rest of the tour, which comprises Twenty20 matches and a series of one-day internationals against England.

Pakistan begin their preparations for the matches with a practice game against English county Somerset on Thursday, before the first Twenty20 fixture against England in Cardiff on Sunday.

Reporters were barred from the County Ground in Taunton because Pakistan requested to train away from the eyes of the media, Somerset Chief Executive Richard Gould said.

"I don't think it's particularly unusual in sport for people to want to have training sessions behind closed doors," Gould told AFP. "I think in these particular circumstances, we understand."

The Daily Telegraph newspaper said the ICC had asked Pakistan for the players cited in the allegations to be dropped from the squad, although no official request has been made.

Citing ICC sources, other reports claimed that the same players had been under investigation for months by their anti-corruption unit.

The world of cricket has reacted with shock and dismay to claims that huge sums of money had changed hands in alleged fixing schemes at international level, linked to shadowy betting rings.

The News of the World claimed it had paid middleman Mazhar Majeed for advance details of three no-balls in the Test match at Lord's.

Majeed, a 35-year-old agent for several Pakistan players, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers in the wake of the allegations, but was released on bail without charge on Sunday.

Detectives questioned the players named, including Asif and 18-year-old prodigy Aamer, who bowled the no-balls -- normally an accidental and unpredictable occurrence -- and police seized their mobile phones.

Investigators from the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit have travelled to Britain to look into the claims, and ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat promised action would be taken against any players found guilty.

"The integrity of the game is of paramount importance. Prompt and decisive action will be taken against those who seek to harm it," Lorgat said in a statement.

Separately, Lorgat told AFP: "We've got to keep things in perspective. It would be unfair if a couple of unsavoury individuals tarnished the reputation of the rest of the team and certainly Pakistan as a country."

Pakistan has been dogged by "fixing" allegations since the 1990s, but Imran Khan, one of the country's greatest ever players, said this could be the worst scandal of all.

"If, God forbid, it turns out to be true then it will be the biggest setback for Pakistan cricket and, probably, end the careers of the two best bowlers in the world," Khan told AFP.